Misinformation is all over the web, and YouTube is working to stop the spread. After announcing that it wouldn’t recommend videos that spread misinformation, the platform is building new a new fact-check panel into YouTube video search.
Available now in a limited rollout in India, YouTube is adding these fact-check info panels to combat misinformation for common topics. As BuzzFeed News reports, these boxes of text debunk topics “prone to misinformation” from verified fact-checking partners.
YouTube says that these new panels will only appear on video searches, not on videos themselves. Videos that contain this misleading information won’t be blocked from search, but the info panels are designed to debunk the information before users watch the misleading content.
One example of this can be found in the screenshot YouTube provided below. In a search relating to a viral claim that a certain type of medicine also contained a virus. The panel includes a brief description of the claim, whether it’s true or not, and a link for more information before listing out video results. These panels show in both English and Hindi.
The layout of these fact-checking panels is similar to something Google implemented previously to fight fake news.
Currently, this is in testing solely in India. However, YouTube does plan to bring this to more regions over time, but the platform declined to share a timeline.
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